Inspiration or Motivation: Which Comes First?

Written by Alan Cohen and Narrated by Marie T. Russell I saw a video about a high school student named Jed who was failing his classes and getting into trouble. His parents, teachers, and counselors tried hard to motivate him to stay in school and succeed, but their efforts were to no avail. Nothing they did could get Jed out of his rut. Then Jed discovered a bird sanctuary that rehabilitated injured hawks and birds of prey and released them back into the wild. Something about this work stirred Jed, and he began to visit the sanctuary every day after school. Before long he became a volunteer and he learned a great deal about the winged creatures. The final scene of the video showed Jed giving a lecture at the sanctuary, skillfully explaining the behavior of these birds and the methods the sanctuary used to rehabilitate them. As the camera panned the audience, it was composed of several classes from the school at which Jed had been having such a hard time succeeding. The students in the audience were enthralled with Jed’s presentation ― he had become a local expert in the field, and he was shining. Dr. Wayne Dyer noted,  “Motivation is when you take hold of an idea. Inspiration is when an idea takes hold of you.” You have had the experience of someone trying to get you to do something you would rather not do, or you trying to get someone to do something they do not want to do. This is no fun for anyone, and usually does not work. You have also had the experience of finding something that is so stimulating that you plunge into it enthusiastically. You... Continue Reading at InnerSelf.com (plus audio/mp3 version of article) Music By Caffeine Creek Band, Pixabay Narrated by Marie T. Russell, InnerSelf.com © Alan Cohen. All Rights Reserved.